


45 Days Since Case One

by AnExhaustedArmadillo



Series: Case One [5]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, M/M, Survival, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-08-10 06:46:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20131063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnExhaustedArmadillo/pseuds/AnExhaustedArmadillo
Summary: Speirs and Lipton survive, together.





	45 Days Since Case One

Speirs led the way into the house, Lipton following close behind, pickaxe held threateningly. The door had been locked, which either meant the house had been abandoned since the outbreak or someone was still living there. It was the seventeenth house they’d checked that day. Some of the houses had been completely empty, already stripped clean. Some of the houses had meager supplies left, which the two of them quickly took.

It was getting dark, though, and Speirs thought that this house would probably be a good one to sleep in, assuming it was truly abandoned. A quick search of the house confirmed its emptiness.

“Stay here tonight?” Speirs asked Lipton and the other nodded, already setting his backpack on the ground.

“What are we feeling,” Lipton asked, rummaging around in his bag and pulling out a couple of cans. “Black or pinto?” Speirs smiled, reaching for the can of pinto beans. There was no more electricity or heat or anything like that, but Speirs refused to eat anything cold when it was supposed to be warm. There were a few candles left in the house, luckily for the two of them, and Speirs began heating his can, though it was a painstakingly slow process.

Lipton sat across from him, lighting his own candle. Speirs couldn’t help but appreciate the way the soft light illuminated the other man’s face. He looked down at his beans resolutely.

Speirs hadn’t been so sure about Lipton, not at first, but he’d proved to be a good companion. When Speirs first came upon the man he’d thought he was insane. Insane, or incredibly stupid.

_“What the Hell were you thinking?” Speirs snapped at the man he’d just pulled the moaner off of. _

__

_“I-I don’t know. He, he just attacked me,” The man said and Speirs was struck by just how frazzled he looked._

__

_“Yeah, genius, that’s what they do,” Speirs rolled his eyes. He couldn’t believe this. The man rubbed his hands through his hair, eyes wide.  
“What? What are you talking about?” The man asked and Speirs reeled himself in a little bit. He didn’t know what was wrong with this guy, and he didn’t really care too much, but he was putting Speirs on edge, and he knew he needed to deescalate the situation. He took a step back, away from the man, trying to assess him completely. He looked gaunt, like he hadn’t had a real meal in a while. And he really did look like he had no idea what Speirs was talking about._

__

__

_“Are you alright?” Speirs asked and the man just looked at him for a moment, jaw lax._

__

__

_“No,” He admitted, smiling humorlessly. “No, I am not alright. I woke up in the hospital and I have no idea how long I was there for, but I assume it was a long time. I don’t, I don’t know what the Hell’s going on.” The man finished tiredly. That explained it then. Speirs reached a hand out to the man._

__

__

_“I’m Ron Speirs,” He said, and after a long pause, the man took his hand and shook it._

_“I’m Carwood Lipton,” He informed him. Speirs smiled._

_“Well, Carwood, welcome to the end of the world.”_

Lipton was good, though. It had taken him a minute, adjusting to the apocalypse, but he was smart. Strong. He listened to Speirs when he needed to, but he also had his own ideas. Originally, Speirs had planned on abandoning Lipton. He thought he’d spend a night or two with the stranger, until he got used to the idea of the apocalypse, and then he’d be on his way. That didn’t happen, though. Speirs, though he considered himself a loner, found that he liked Lipton’s company. He’d decided that maybe it wouldn’t hurt to have someone watching his back.

Speirs was pulled out of his thoughts by the soft bubbling of beans in a can. They ate in silence, but it was companionable sort of quiet. Lipton had an uncanny knack for reading whether or not Speirs wanted to talk, and it was a quiet night for him. They finished their meal and moved upstairs in the house to sleep. Speirs had located the master bedroom the first time they’d searched the house, and his achy feet were begging him to crawl into bed.

The blankets were soft, though a little musty, but Speirs kicked his shoes off and slid under the covers, pulling the top blanket up to his chin. Lipton came in soon after, pulling a mattress from one of the adjoining rooms with him. Speirs had learned early on that sleeping in the apocalypse was the definition of danger, and sleeping alone was just foolish. Speirs and Lipton spent every night in close proximity. If they were in a house, they alternated between who got the bed and who brought in a mattress to sleep on.

It wasn’t long before Speirs could hear Lipton snoring softly on the ground below him. Speirs stayed awake for a little while longer. He rolled over so that he was on his stomach, right on the edge of the bed. He could make out the gentle lines of Lipton’s face even through the darkness. He felt a warm wave pass through his body, like he was swallowing sunlight. He sighed internally, rolling onto his back and averting his gaze from Lipton. He couldn’t afford to be soft, not in the new world.

When they woke the next morning they agreed not to check any more houses that day. They had enough supplies to last them for at least the next ten days, and Speirs wanted to keep moving. They were still too close to the city and Speirs knew that the further they could get the fewer moaners they’d come into contact with. They were moving on foot, which didn’t exactly make for good progress, so it was imperative they kept moving.

Speirs felt more talkative, though, and he regaled Lipton with a few stories from his police days. Lipton laughed and he seemed to be enjoying the conversation, but he still didn’t come forth with any stories of his own. Speirs couldn’t help but worry that Lipton hadn’t quite adjusted to apocalypse life. It had only been about a week, after all. Still, Lipton was a solid companion and as long as his mentality didn’t become detrimental to their survival, Speirs wasn’t really sure what he could do.

They walked for several hours, stopping briefly for lunch, but soon pushing on. Speirs quietly admired Lipton’s fortitude. They stayed on the roads, trying to avoid the busy ones, but also trying to be as quick as possible. It wasn’t long before they came across a highway junction. Suddenly, Speirs stopped walking, staring at a sign attached to the highway junction post.

“What?” Lipton asked, stopping behind him. “What is it?”

“Salvation,” He read. “Exit 35.”

“A community?” Lipton asked and Speirs nodded.

“Something like that.”

“It’s not exactly out of our way,” Lipton reasoned.

“It’s not exactly in it, either,” Speirs countered. Lipton turned to him.

“They could have supplies. Weapons. I know we’re going away from the city to avoid the moaners, but if they really have a community... then they’re probably safe there. It’s worth checking out,” Lipton said. Speirs didn’t reply, just continued staring at the sign. He heard Lipton sigh. “I won’t go if you don’t.”

“No,” Speirs said, turning to Lipton. “You’re right. It’s worth checking out.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, I know every time I ask for comments I say that they motivate me to write, which is entirely true. Mostly though I work on getting ahead with a bunch of rough drafts which I later edit, so I don't update right away I just write all the skeletons. So if you leave comments just know that they do motivate me to write, it's just that updates come a little bit after my writing, if that makes sense. Right now I have four or five rough drafts that I need to edit. Anyway, please comment XD!
> 
> Thank you for reading!!


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